Facts

East Indian Ocean, West Indian Ocean, Australia, Indonesia, East Pacific, Central/West Pacific

Max length

20.0 cm (7.9")

As aquarium fish

Minimum volume

400 l (106 gal)

Hardiness

Hardy

Suitable for aquarium

Suitable with care

Reef safe

Not reef safe

Aggressiveness

Might be aggressive

Food

Mostly

Soft coral

Large polyp stone coral (LPS)

Recommended

Microalgea (Eg. spirulina)

Macroalgea (Eg. seaweed / nori)

Zooplankton (Cyclops, pods...)

Small crustaceans (Krill, mysis, artemia...)

Larger crustaceans (Shrimp, crabs...)

Other invertebrates

Threat towards invertebrates

This species likes eating crustaceans, small bivalves and the like.

Eats tubeworms

This species likes to eat tubeworms.

Can nibble at clams

This species sometimes nibbles at clams including Tridacna species.

Can be a threat to anemones

This species likes eating anemones.

Can be aggresive

This species is not neccessarily aggresive, but it has a greater tendency towards aggresion then other species of the same genus.

Threat to sea urchin

This species likes to nibble at sea urchins.

Frequent feeding

This fish requires feeding several times a day, especially when newly added.

When the fish can find its natural food in the aquarium it requires less frequent feeding.

Well established aquarium with algae

These fish should be kept in a well run aquarium where they can "graze" algae from rocks and stones.

If there are insufficient algae on the rocks, it is important to feed more frequently and supplement with algae rich food e.g. Spirulina.

Requires a varied diet

This species must be fed with an appropriately varied diet.

Requires plenty of space for swimming.

This species revels in swimming and requires an aquarium with ample space.

Eats glass anemones (Aiptasia)

This species eats glass anemones (Aiptasia).

But occasionally one finds an individual fish which refuses to eat them.

Hiding places

This species needs good hiding places, for example, between live rocks.

Can coexist with its own species

Several specimen of this species can coexist in the same aquarium, provided they are introduced simultaneously.

Genus description (Chaetodon)

Some species of the Chaetodon genus are grouped together in what is known as a "complex", since they are so very similar.

Regardless of resemblance, it is important to be able to distinguish them, as in some cases they vary greatly in their needs. Sometimes there are just small differences in colour or pattern, but in other instances it is vital to know where the fish originally come from.

Family description (Chaetodontidae)

The Butterflyfish are known for their attractive patterns and colours. They are closely related to Angelfishs, but can always be distinguished, as they lack the spines on each side of the head of the Angelfish.

A smaller group of these fish will seek out primairily soft corals, like Zoanthus. A larger part of the species will target different types of LPS corals. Butterflyfish are also known to seek out anemones, tubeworms and bristleworms.

Therefore it is important to choose the correct species in relation to the corals wanted, if one desires to keep Butterflyfish in a coral-aquarium.Bristleworms, tubeworms and other small invertebrates are also a part of the diet for many Butterflyfish.

It can be problematic, with many of these species, to get them eating in the beginning, but many of the species cannot resist live zooplankton or live mussels with crushed shells. Another option is to mimic their natural behaviour by stuffing their food into coral skeletons or stones.

They ignore most other fish and are generally peaceful, therefore multiple Butterflyfish will have no problem living together. One should however be cautious about keeping similar species together unless they are a couple.

As these fish can be difficult to acclimatize and get feeding, it is important to buy healthy fish, to avoid having to deal with more problems. Make sure to check that they do not have parasites or any visible infections.

There are some species that should not be kept in an a aquarium, as they are food specialists and will almost always refuse to eat replacement foods. It can be possible to breed some species, which will eat frozen foods. Otherwise the only way to keep food specialists is by feeding them their natural diet, which consists of live SPS or LPS corals for example.

FishBase

Aquarium trade

Yes

Distribution

Indo-Pacific: East Africa to the Hawaiian, Marquesan, and Ducie islands, north to southern Japan, south to Lord Howe and Rapa islands. Southeast Atlantic: East London, South Africa (Ref. 5372).

Minimum volume

"Minimum volume" indicates the size of the tank needed to house this species under optimal conditions.

This is based on a medium size animal, which you want to keep for several years.It might be possible to keep smaller specimens for a limited period in a smaller tank. A larger tank might be needed for fully-grown specimens.

Hardiness

"Hardiness" indicates how resistant this species is to disease and how well i tolerates bad conditions in general.
Some species doesn't handle transportation very well, but that doesn't mean that the species isn't hardy under the right conditions.

Suitable for aquarium

In this case, a "normal" aquarium is a reef aquarium with mixed corals or a fish only aquarium with an approximately salinity of 1.026 (sg) and a temperature close to 26°C.Species requiring more than a 4000-liter tank are considered not suitable for home aquarium.